Hey all, bought my first shotgun on black friday.
I was just wondering if it gets any easier to feed shells into the cylinder (correct me if that's the incorrect terminology), as the spring wears out.

I may just be a sissy, that's totally possible as well.

I will gladly admit that I bought a 12 gauge instead of a 20 (I had reservations about it, but target loads aren't as bad as I thought. (on the other hand It doesn't actually make you kick as much as I thought it would)

Also, is there a difference between target loads and birdshot?
Or are these terms interchangable
Thanks all!

I was just wondering if it gets any easier to feed shells into the cylinder (correct me if that's the incorrect terminology), as the spring wears out.

If the magazine spring is even decent quality, you'll be waiting quite awhile for it to "wear out".

New shotguns can be a bit stiff when loading the magazine tube, and may simply require a (very brief) bit of break-in... or in your case, you may simply not be use to it. Do you have a friend that is more familiar with shotguns? Ask them to try it.

There can be numerous reasons for issues not involving break-in. You don't mention the brand or model, so lets start with generic issues... but typically those that apply to inexpensive shotguns.

The fit of follower to magazine tube can be snug or dragging. The tube itself may be rough on the inside or have burrs. The mag tube spring may be stiff, or overly long (14" to 16" is a fairly common value for magazine spring free length past the end of the tube with the cap removed). Going a step further, with issues less common, there may be a dent or bend in the tube that creates binding and friction.

All the things I've mentioned are easily identified, some easily corrected... some, not so much. New gun, issue not immediately and easily correctable... like exceedingly long a magazine spring for example... take it back to where you bought it, or send it to the manufacturer for repair.

Target loads are "birdshot"... there are several sizes of birdshot, and buckshot as well. The Wikipedia article actually covers shot shells quite well.

Well... I can imagine that NEF doesn't get to carried away with fine detail machining, so you've got a few sharp spots here and there. Sending the gun back would just get you another gun with the same sharp spots.
You can file or sand the sharp edges off so they're not so dangerous... if that's something you're into. If not, a gunsmith can do it for you, or, just try and keep your digits away from the sharp spots.

As to the magazine... take a look at the areas I mentioned previously, and if the spring is ridiculously long, cut it down to about 18" and see what you get. I suspect NEF uses a long spring to ensure that the gun feeds shells reliably.
If it's still too stiff, take an inch at a time off and see what you end up with. Don't go shorter than 14" of spring installed, free length past the end of the magazine tube with the end cap removed. If you don't clearly understand that last bit... take it to a gunsmith.

Look at it this way, even ''super quality'' shotguns have their issues sometimes, so as long as it goes bang every time you pull the trigger... you're doing OK.

Let me repeat that spring part... do not cut the spring down to an overall length, just the part that is exposed past the end of the magazine tube. M-kay?

It's a Chinese made knock off of a Remington 870. As for the rim of the shell base catching, you need to get used to centering your shot shells more as you load the magazine. Have you tried to simply clean the magazine tube of crud an gunk, such as preservatives. So this with the spring and follower out and, of course, the gun unloaded.

After cleaning the magazine, take a good luck to see if there are any burs or spots that seem to be rubbing on anything. Drop the follower down the tube and see if it falls freely. turn the gun muzzle down and see if it falls out.

With the action assembly and forend removed, lay a straight edge up against the outer wall of the magazine tube to check for any dents or bends in the tube.

I've seen a few of these guns that were pretty rough with burrs. Don't be afraid to do some sanding here to break those sharp edges. Also make sure the magazine is clean, free of large burrs, doesn't have a plug in it (seen it happen, don't laugh) and has a good follower. For the $$$ I usually just replace the follower with a good aftermarket part from Brownell's.

Some companies call cheap shells "target", don't worry about the name. Check the weight of shot, the velocity listed (new shells) orthe Dram Equivilant (old style) to see what you're really getting. The performance is more important than what its named. And speaking of names... It's a shotgun. Type the one extra letter and you'll sound a lot more knowledgeable. Shotty sounds like you shoot your pistol grip from da hip and hold your handgun sideways.

I think the Pardners are a good value. When I worked at an indoor range we kept one loaded behind the counter and shot it a bunch and had no reliability issues. It was good enough that we trusted it over more expensive guns.

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